10 Ways To Target Travelers With Facebook Ads

With an active user base of more than 1.55 billion people, Facebook has become a major player in the online marketing sphere, in particular within the travel sphere as people like to share moments, pictures from their experience or engage with travel brands prior, during and after their leisure or business trips. Just take a look at the most recent stats from the Facebook community to understand its potential and impact:

Consider these stats as well, which demonstrate how pervasive Facebook has become:

The average user spends more than 7 hours per month reading, posting and sharing news, photos, videos and other content

The average mobile user checks his or her Facebook account… 14 times per day!

It’s no surprise to see organizations invest more and more into Facebook marketing, yet it’s interesting to note that while there are more than 45 million active Pages, only an estimated 2.5 million of them invest in Facebook Ads. Thus, there is tremendous potential to reach targeted audiences with Facebook and go beyond the declining organic reach, even for vibrant communities.

Some of you may be familiar with the basic “Boost” post feature or perhaps the possibility to get more likes for your Page. There is so much more that can be done with Facebook Ads targeting. Here are my 10 favorites targeting options to enhance your marketing performance… and get more bang for your advertising buck!

NOTE: To access the information shown below, you must manage at least one Page and activate your Ads Manager account (go under your account settings to do so).

1. Target per interest

One of the very first and best ways to target an audience on Facebook is by defining interest. For example, a mountain resort hosting a cycling or running competition may want to target people who are interested in Pages concerning fitness and wellness, or perhaps sports and outdoor activities.

And if you know of a specific term to search for, you can simply enter it in the box, i.e. “Color Me Rad”.

2. Target per relationship status

Another great way to target goes according to users’ relationship status: widow, single, divorced, civil union, complicated… For hoteliers wanting to reach out to couples seeking a romantic getaway or perhaps nightclubs targeting singles, this option is an obvious must.

In order to access these options, locate the “More Demographics” button, right under the Age – Gender – Languages section of the Audience Definition part of the campaign manager. By clicking on the “Relationship Status”, you should see the various options in a scroll down menu.

3. Target per career profile or company

While many will have the reflex to use Linkedin when it comes to target professionals – nothing wrong here, I do the same when it comes to specific B2B campaigns or HR-driven tactics – Facebook also allows to target users according to their employers, job titles or industries, i.e. sales, automotive, transportation, management, etc.

This can be a useful tool when a travel brands wishes to target employees or former employees from known employers and/or job titles: supervisors, general managers, housekeeping, etc.

4. Target per generation

While we can target per age range, it is sometimes more convenient to aim for generations, specially when combined with other variables such as interests and behaviors. For example targeting Millenials AND mobile users of a given device.

5. Filter per academic background

In other circumstances, it may prove wise to target according to the education profile of users. We can not only segment according to education level (associate degree, college grad, high school, doctorate, in college, etc.), but also per fields of study, schools and undergrad years specifically.

6. Celebrate a meaningful life event

Where Facebook becomes particularly insightful (and some will say scary) is when we start targeting users according to known life events from users’ network. Imagine for example you recently updated your status to “in a relationship” and you start seeing ads for a week-long getaway in a couples resort in the Caribbean? Or perhaps you recently got promoted or landed a new job, so why not celebrate with a promotional offer at this special BBQ restaurant nearby?

7. Target per type of mobile device

Knowing how many mobile users access and spend time on Facebook, it makes sense to target them through various filter options. In particular if a hotel, destination or online travel agency (Expedia, Priceline, TripAdvisor) seeks more engagement on their mobile application for example.

8. Identify various types of travelers

Of course, for travel brands the most interesting feature is the possibility to target potential travelers. In order to reach this section, you must first search by interests, then select the “Hobby and activities” tab and then click on “Travel”. You can then choose between various interests, from adventure travel to theme parks, cruises, lakes, mountains or hotels.

Beyond interests, we can also target according to actual user behavior. In other words, aim for users that are considered frequent travelers, business travelers or that perhaps recently returned from a trip.

9. Aim for ex-pats or folks away from home

With Thanksgiving around the corner, why not target students or family members that may be living far away from home, perhaps even in other country?

By searching under “Interest”, then “Life Events” tab, you will find various options to target with this mind. You may also want to check under “Behavior”, then “Expats” to target various expatriates from many countries, depending on who you with to target.

10. Target per household composition

One last goodie is to target families by aiming specifically per age of children. New parents or young parents with toddlers may appreciate more an offer for a weekend getaway with special nursing facilities, spa treatments and relaxation while families with older children or teenagers may respond better to full-inclusive resort ads on cruise ships or Club Med-like vacations.

To reach this section, you must click on the “More Demographic” button, then choose the “All Parents” tab.

Of course, there are many more possibilities that Facebook targeting can offer but these were just some of my favorites ones. A word to the wise, though: please use these segmenting filters with caution and assume there may be some flaws. As much as I like and appreciate the data stemming from Facebook for marketing purposes, it’s safer to test out with various specific targeted audiences, then branch out and expand as (positive) results start rolling in.

Senior marketing and communications expert & speaker with more than 20 years of expertise in the travel and hospitality industry. Consulting since early 2012, I provide strategic planning, social media & mobile development counseling to small and medium businesses alike. Reach me at frederic@gonzomarketing.biz

“Frederic was the Co-Chair of EyeforTravel’s Online Marketing Strategies for Travel Summit in Miami. His knowledge and passion for the travel industry made him an obvious choice. After going the extra mile to deliver a breakout session of his own, Frederic more than exceeded our expectations.”

Brian Smith, Global Events Director

“Rarely have I worked with someone with such an unwavering work ethic. Frederic is curious and always looking for newer, better ways of doing things. It would be hard to find someone with more passion for the travel & tourism industry. Frederic has seen if from pretty much every angle.”

Jean-Sebastien Monty, President & Partner

“Frederic is a very result oriented individual. His drive to succeed sets him apart. He will always go the extra mile and his proactive approach gives him the edge everyone is looking for. Frederic is always well informed on current events and sees the impacts on the business, which are afterwards translated into a detailed actionable plan.”

Marc-Andre Nobert, Business Manager

Whether giving a dynamic presentation for a private group or public lectures in front of hundreds of people, Frederic has the experience and know-how to captivate the audience and share up-to-date content. Customized training is also available for companies and small groups alike.